Never Mind All That
by HiroLemonFan
Summary: It is Summer 2018, six years after the events of the show. See how the characters' lives have changed since the last time we saw them. Note: This is a Pacifica-centric story with Dipper and Mabel as the secondary leads.
1. Pacifica's Happy Ending

**A/N: This is a series of oneshots that takes place six years after the canon series. I will try to make it as close to canon as possible, especially once Journal 3 is released.**

* * *

When Preston and Priscilla lost their manor, they felt such shame that they fled the state, never to be seen again. Unfortunately, during their rush to leave Gravity Falls, they accidentally left Pacifica behind, forcing her to live out on the streets. The first few days were alright, but due to the exposure of the Northwests as frauds regarding who really founded the town, she was shunned by everyone in town (with the exception of Candy and Grenda, who always remembered to give her food and clothing).

Six years had past, and Pacifica was completely unrecognizable. Her hair had gotten so long and tangled that she had to shave it all off. The clothes she wore were ragged, and she taught herself to sew so she could patch up her outfits. But she was always cold and tired. Candy and Grenda still visited her, but the visits were rare due to Candy becoming McGucket's apprentice and Grenda training to become a woman wrestler.

So the only thing Pacifica could do was wait until nature killed her. She just wanted the suffering to end.

* * *

On one particular day, Pacifica was doing her usual routine of holding up a cardboard sign that read 'I Need Shelter'. But sadly, all she got was some money for food. After all, people were trained by the news to not welcome homeless people into their homes due to reports of theft, disease, and violent attacks.

So because of this, all Pacifica could do was sit in her cardboard box and hold up her sign, knowing that it was all pointless anyway. Maybe today would be the day her life would finally end-

"Pacifica?"

The ragged teen looked up, only to see a young man approach her. He had scruffy brown hair (which looked like it had not been cut for a while) and relatively pale skin, and his nose was a bit darker than the rest of his face. His eyes were brown with noticeable bags underneath. He wore a dark grey v-neck t-shirt, full-length black pants, black sneakers, a grey digital wristwatch, and a dark brown lumberjack hat. He looked rather lanky, yet she could see visible muscles on his arms and torso.

But wait, how did this guy know her name? She never saw him before.

"Who are you?" Pacifica asked as she stood up and got out of her cardboard box.

The young man responded by taking off his hat and lifting up his somewhat long bangs, revealing an unusual marking on his forehead that resembled the Big Dipper constellation. "Okay..." Pacifica said. What was the point of that?

The young man let out a sigh. "It's me," he said, putting his hat back on. "Dipper Pines."

"Dipper?" Pacifica asked. She was shocked. He looked so different. So...handsome. His face had changed so much, especially since the baby fat was gone. She could feel her heart pounding as her long-gone crush on him (something that emerged during the lumberjack ghost fiasco back in 2012) came back in full force.

"Yeah, I know," Dipper said. "You probably don't recognize me because of the hat. Wendy traded hats with me the last time I was here."

"Oh, right..." Pacifica said. The hat difference was the last thing on her mind. "So what are you doing here? I haven't seen you or your sister in years."

"That's because our parents wouldn't let us come back here," Dipper explained. "Especially since Grunkle Stan and Great-Uncle Ford are off traveling the world. So for the past six years, we've been stuck in Piedmont. Mabel and I parted after graduation. She's off to a fashion school, while I'm here for a technical college so I can finally work on my ghost-hunting show. So what happened to you? You seemed fine the last time I saw you."

Pacifica proceeded to explain how her life turned downhill after her parents accidentally abandoned her and that she was forced to live out on the streets for the past six years. She had to sacrifice everything, including her hair, in order to survive. By the time she was done, Dipper looked shocked.

"Oh Pacifica..." Dipper said. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's okay," Pacifica said. "I deserve this for being mean to everyone all those years ago."

"Pacifica Northwest, you don't deserve any of this!" Dipper said. "Hasn't anyone helped you?"

"Candy and Grenda used to visit me so they could give me food and clothing," Pacifica answered. "But they rarely visit nowadays due to their busy lives."

"Then how about you come with me?" Dipper asked. "I'll fix you up and let you stay at an apartment I'm renting."

Pacifica wasn't sure about this. On one hand, she was finally given the opportunity to get some shelter. But on the other hand, what if this offer was only temporary? After all, it probably won't be long before she's back on the streets again.

"I'll pass," Pacifica said, sitting back in her cardboard box.

But the next thing Pacifica knew, Dipper had picked her up and he was carrying her bridal style. "It's not an offer," he informed. "You're coming with me, whether you want to or not."

* * *

Some time later, Pacifica was resting in a bathtub filled with clean water. She sighed as she leaned in, since the only times she cleaned herself was during heavy rainstorms. Compared to that, having a proper bath felt kind of soothing.

Without thinking clearly, she reached for a nearby bottle of shampoo, only to quickly realize all of her hair was long gone. She sadly put the bottle down. Her hair was the one thing she truly missed. But that was then. It was time to move on.

Eventually Pacifica emerged from the bathroom wearing a comfortable light blue robe. She sighed in content as she rested on Dipper's bed, happy with feeling such a soft thing on her skin. She completely forgot what actual warmth felt like.

Some time later, Dipper came back with a bag of supplies. "Alright Pacifica," he said. "Let's get you back to normal." He took out a jar of bright green goop and unscrewed the lid.

"What's that?" Pacifica asked, curious.

"A special hair-growing goop," Dipper answered, scooping out some of the goop. "I found it back in 2012 when Mabel asked if the journal mentioned any hair-growth objects."

"Why would she need that?" Pacifica asked. The girl twin's hair was already pretty long the last time she saw her.

"She shaved off most of her hair while she was making a video called Mabel's Guide to Shaving Things," Dipper explained. "When she realized what she did, she asked if I could fix her mistake. That's when I found this goop. Apply it to the scalp and the hair is restored." He proceeded to apply the goop to Pacifica's bald scalp.

After a flash of green light, Pacifica felt her hair growing back. She noticed Dipper was surprised to see her new waist-length hair, because it wasn't straight and blonde. Instead it was light brown and curly with red highlights. Memories of Priscilla constantly straightening and bleaching the young girl's hair came back to Pacifica.

Dipper smirked. "I had a feeling you weren't a natural blonde," he said.

"My mom always said curls were ugly," Pacifica recalled. "She was only helping me unlock my real beauty."

"That's crazy," Dipper said. "You look amazing with curls."

"That won't wash away years of mental training," Pacifica said.

"Come on, Pacifica," Dipper said. "You're parents are long gone by now. They won't bother you any more. You can finally live life as a normal person, and I'll help you with that."

"Really?" Pacifica asked.

Dipper held Pacifica's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Trust me," he said with a soft smile.

After a few seconds, Pacifica smiled back. Hopefully this would be the beginning of a bright future...


	2. A Comic Geek

Pacifica looked at her reflection in the mirror, wearing the clothes Dipper got for her. Right now she wore a hot pink and black dress that featured diamond patterns on the skirt portion, hot pink and black leggings, and short black boots. She smiled, feeling happy about what she wore for once.

"What do you think?" Dipper asked.

"I love it," Pacifica answered, giving herself a small twirl. "How did you find this?"

"I found the dress, leggings, and boots while I was at Edgy on Purpose," Dipper said. "Turns out they also sell fandom merchandise. Sorry the colors are a bit off. The pink sections were originally red, but the color must have faded."

"I don't mind," Pacifica said. "Hot pink is my favorite color."

"I didn't know that," Dipper said.

"It's okay," Pacifica said. She looked closer at the outfit. "Was this outfit inspired by Harley Quinn?"

"Is that alright with you?" Dipper asked.

"I guess so," Pacifica answered. "But I'm not exactly a Harley fan."

"Oh," Dipper said. He searched through the other clothes he bought for her. "Maybe you would like-"

"Unless you count her New 52 counterpart," Pacifica continued. "Those stories really fleshed out her personality. Plus they made her act more like an anti-hero instead of a straight-up villain."

Dipper looked surprised. "You like reading comic books?" he asked.

"Candy often showed me her comic books a few years ago," Pacifica explained. "When she noticed I was mostly fond of New 52 Harley, she let me borrow those comics. Those comics helped me get through harsh times."

"I see..." Dipper said. "I'm more of a Marvel fan myself. DC movies were far more depressing than the Marvel movies."

"I'm not a fan of movies," Pacifica said. "My parents didn't want to frighten me, so they gave me books instead. They told me reading more books would make me smarter than everyone else in the world."

"Then how about you enlighten me with your comic knowledge?" Dipper asked. "There's a comic book store at the mall."

"Challenge accept," Pacifica replied with a confident smile.

* * *

Over at Sixth Floor Comics, Pacifica proceeded to tell Dipper about New 52 Harley's adventures. She talked about the revived origin story, the team-up with Power Girl, the series of stories called Harley's Little Black Book (which featured crossovers of the anti-hero's favorite superheroes), and many other adventures. But her personal favorite was one from the holiday special.

"And in the end, Harley was able to repair the little girl's relationship with her father," Pacifica concluded.

"Wow," Dipper said. "That's actually clever writing."

"I know," Pacifica said. "A lot of people tend to forget that Harley is a psychologist, even if her methods can be a bit crazy."

Dipper smiled softly. "I really like this side of you," he said. "Someone who's very passionate about geek culture."

"Like I said, Candy got me interested in comics," Pacifica reminded Dipper. "So I guess we have her to thank."

"But that's great," Dipper said. "You said your parents got you interested in reading, so if it wasn't for that, you wouldn't have been interested in comic books."

"Why wouldn't I?" Pacifica asked. "Comics aren't just for guys. Girls can enjoy them too."

Dipper picked up a MonsterMon manga from a nearby shelf. "You know, you told me about the comics you like," he said. "How about I tell you about the wonderful world of MonsterMon?"

"Really?" Pacifica asked. She genuinely looked interested.

"Sure," Dipper replied.

And so, Dipper bought some new MonsterMon mangas and a couple of New 52 Harley comics for Pacifica. They two friends spent the rest of the day sitting at a mall bench as Dipper taught Pacifica about MonsterMon. Needless to say, it could easily be one of the best days of her life so far.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review in each chapter. The more reviews I get, the more oneshots I'll write.**


	3. Mabel's Return

**A/N: Recently I got a review that said it would have been better if Pacifica dealt with her life as a bald girl. Well there's a very good reason why I made Dipper restore her hair. It was symbolizing her new life with Dipper. She was bald during her years of living out on the streets, so it's time for her to move past that life. Plus now that she's no longer a blonde, she doesn't look like her old self anymore, showing that she has moved on from her past life as a Northwest. It's time for her to move on with her life with Dipper.**

* * *

"Wait, are you serious?" Dipper asked over the phone. "You're coming here?" He paused for a few seconds. "Okay. See you soon." He hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Pacifica asked, having finished her breakfast.

"That was Mabel," Dipper answered. "She applied to every fashion school in the United States, so while she waits to be accepted, she decided to spend the summer here."

"That doesn't seem bad," Pacifica said.

"Trust me, it is bad," Dipper said. "Mabel has changed since the last time you saw her. She's still a nice girl, but she's...different."

"Good or bad different?" Pacifica asked.

"She deliberately set up a huge prank on our first day of tenth grade," Dipper answered.

"How bad was it?" Pacifica asked.

"It took place at the school auditorium," Dipper said. "The lights went out, frogs were unleashed on the students and staff, music and lights blinded everyone in the room, stink bombs were triggered, potato flakes rain down from the ceiling, the whole room was sprayed with disgusting green paint, and the sprinklers activated. Mabel got a full year of detention as punishment, but she didn't seem to mind."

Pacifica was horrified. Why did Mabel, who was obviously kind-hearted, do such a thing? She had to find out. "What happened to her?"

"What else?" Dipper asked in response. "She was tired of being the silly one, so she changed her image and reputation. She claimed it was because she grew up, but I don't think that's the case."

"When is she coming anyway?" Pacifica asked.

"This afternoon," Dipper answered. "But be careful."

"I'll try," Pacifica said.

* * *

That afternoon, Dipper and Pacifica waited at the bus stop, awaiting Mabel's arrival. Eventually the bus did arrive, but when Mabel stepped out with her bags, Pacifica was in for a shock.

Mabel looked so drastically different. Her long, slightly curly hair was shoulder-length, jagged, and completely straight, with the front portion slightly covering her left eye. She wore a pale blue t-shirt, black jeans, and pale pink sneakers, completing the look with a black spiked collar around her neck. She also wore makeup, although it consisted of black eyeshadow. There was a black star-shaped bag hanging across her chest from her right shoulder, the bag itself resting on her left hip.

Mabel looked over at Dipper. "'Sup, Dipper," she said, speaking in a somewhat dull tone of voice.

"Hey Mabel," Dipper said. "I'm sure you remember Pacifica."

Mabel shifted her glance to Pacifica, who smiled nervously. Mabel responding by smirking. "With both of your parents being brunettes, I had a feeling that blonde hair wasn't natural," she stated.

"Nice to see you too, Mabel," Pacifica said. She was still shocked about Mabel's drastic transformation. And it seemed most of her cheerfulness was gone.

"Alright Mabel," Dipper said, helping his sister with her bags. "I hope you don't mind staying over at my place."

"Not at all," Mabel said.

* * *

Once the three arrived at Dipper's apartment, Mabel started unpacking her bags, which were mostly sketchpads and drawing supplies. Pacifica still wanted to know how Mabel turned into a goth.

"So Mabel..." Pacifica said. "What happened to you?"

"Easy," Mabel replied. "I grew up."

"Yeah, I know," Pacifica said. "Dipper told me you were tired of being the silly one."

"He's right," Mabel said. "So right before I started 10th grade, I cut my long hair short and switched out my brightly colorful outfits for pastel tops with matching sneakers and black pants. And to make sure everyone took me seriously, I planned out the perfect school prank. Did Dipper tell you about it?"

"He did," Pacifica answered. "He also said you got a full year of detention because of it."

"It was worth it," Mabel said. "After the prank, I became the most popular girl in school. Guys wanted to date me and girls wanted to be like me, but I didn't care. I was more focused in fashion design. Of course, even with detention, I still got good grades in all my classes. Everything was going great for me, until the night of the senior prom."

"What happened?" Pacifica asked.

"I was crowned Prom Queen," Mabel continued. "Of course, the school quarterback, who was the nicest guy in school, ended up as Prom King. Usually the dance led to something romantic between the King and Queen, but as I danced with that guy, I felt absolutely nothing. That's when I realized something: I never actually liked guys in a romantic way. And after a bit of experimentation, turns out I wasn't attracted to girls either. That was how I found out I'm actually asexual."

"But that doesn't mean you have to give up romance," Pacifica pointed out. "Asexual people can still go on dates and get married."

Mabel scoffed. "Oh please," she said. "All those failed romances I had in the past made me realize that relationships are overrated. Besides, if I ever wanted to start a family, I'll just adopt a child and raise him or her as a single mother."

"Told you she changed," Dipper told Pacifica, overhearing the conversation between the two young women.

"But there's one thing that hasn't changed," Mabel said. She took a break from unpacking and opened her pocketbook. To Pacifica's surprise, a tiny pig stuck its head out from the bag.

"Is that your pet pig?" Pacifica asked.

"Yep," Mabel answered. "Me and Dipper knew our parents wouldn't keep Waddles around the house if they saw how big he was, so we shrunk him using Dipper's size-changing crystal flashlight and pretended he was a hairless guinea pig. He's been stuck like this ever since, not that I have a problem with that." She scratched her fingers under Waddles' chin, making him squeal in delight. "He's much cuter this way. So what happened to you, Paz?"

Pacifica was momentarily surprised with the sudden nickname, but she ignored it. "My parents accidentally left me behind when they fled the state six years ago," the former blonde explained. "I ended up living out on the streets because of that. Then Dipper found me a few days ago and I've been living with him ever since."

"Well I must say, my brother might not know fashion, but you look amazing," Mabel said, observing Pacifica's hot pink and black outfit. "And your new hair style and color looks better than what you originally had. But the whole outfit is missing...something."

"What?" Pacifica asked.

"I don't know," Mabel answered. She looked over at Dipper. "Can I borrow Paz for a few minutes?"

* * *

And so, Mabel dragged Pacifica over to Gravity Malls. When they got there, they went over to Blaire's, which was a preteen clothing and accessory store for preteen girls. This confused Pacifica.

"Uh, Mabel?" Pacifica asked. "What are we doing here?"

"Fixing your hair," Mabel answered, searching through the hair accessory section. "It looks so plain, so I just need to find the right item- Here it is!" She pulled out a cloth hot pink headband.

"Is that a headband?" Pacifica asked.

"A headband with some elastic," Mabel explained. "It's the perfect thing you need."

* * *

After buying the headband, Mabel brought Pacifica over to the mall's ladies room. There, she put the headband on Pacifica, pushing back the front portion of her hair.

"What do you think?" Mabel asked.

Pacifica looked at her reflection in the restroom mirror. Needless to say, she was impressed. Her hair was away from her face, and the hot pink color matched the red highlights in her hair. "I look amazing," she said.

"Of course you do," Mabel said. "People like you want to look as amazing as me, but they don't have time for fashion in their busy day-to-day lives. That's why I plan on becoming a fashion designer. With the right training and a lot of patience, I'll eventually become the host of my very own makeover show."

"Well you certainly know a few things about fashion," Pacifica said.

"Trust me, Paz," Mabel said. "With my help, you'll become the most fashionable girl in town."

Pacifica genuinely smiled. Mabel might have sort of gone goth, but she was still a genuinely nice girl. Maybe things were going to work out after all...

* * *

 **A/N: If you want to see how a certain character has changed over the past six years, let me know in your review. And remember: the more reviews I get, the more chapters I'll post.**

 **Also, there will be a future chapter with Dipper's real name, but since this is supposed to be close-to-canon, I have to wait until July 26th for Journal 3.**


	4. Traumatic Nightmares

When Pacifica was younger, she frequently had nightmares about her parents spritzing her with water and treating her like a disobedient puppy. But after the events of Weirdmageddon, the nightmares shifted to something far more dark.

In those nightmares, was twelve years old again with straight blonde hair, rags, and a llama hair sweater. She was trapped inside a tapestry, unable to speak and move as she could only watch the world around her burn. Worst of all, there was nothing she could do, for eventually the flames would reach her and she too would burn up.

Tonight was one of those nights. Pacifica's eyes shot wide open as she woke up. Being a tapestry for only a few minutes traumatized her. It was far more worse than the abuse her parents put her through (even though they ditched the bell and began treating her nicer after the events of the lumberjack ghost fiasco).

Pacifica checked her surroundings, a reminder that those memories were in the past. She was currently sleeping right next to Dipper, while Mabel was in the apartment living room sleeping on the couch. With a mental reassurance that everything was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief before repositioning herself in bed, wrapping her arms around Dipper for comfort.

But that proved to be a mistake. Pacifica blushed as she felt Dipper's strong muscles. It wasn't much. Just a nicely-developing six-pack with slightly muscular arms. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, trying to get back to sleep.

Then Dipper started to moan in his sleep. Pacifica looked at him, seeing that he looked distressed. "Dipper?" she asked softly, letting go of his strong torso.

Dipper suddenly woke up with a slight yelp. He breathed heavily as he sat up. "Not again..." he muttered.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Pacifica asked.

"It was Weirdmageddon all over again," Dipper recalled. "People were getting killed left and right, and I was all alone. Worse, I couldn't seem to find Mabel." He let out a sigh. "You probably wouldn't understand."

"Actually, I do understand," Pacifica said. "I keep having nightmares about being a tapestry."

"Being alone in an apocalyptic wasteland for three days is worst," Dipper said. "There's absolutely no one to help you and there's the constant thought that everyone you care about is dead. I keep having nightmares about those days. They were initially so bad that my parents had to sign me and Mabel up for therapy."

"Mabel too?" Pacifica asked.

"Meow."

That voice came from the living room. "She said she also has nightmares about Weirdmageddon," Dipper told Pacifica. "She told me those nightmares feature her being forcefully trapped inside a giant pink bubble as she watches the outside world die."

"Meow."

"Where's that meowing coming from?" Pacifica asked.

"Mabel has a habit of meowing herself to sleep after she has a nightmare," Dipper explained.

"Meow."

Pacifica got off the bed. "We better go comfort her," she suggested.

"It's alright," Dipper said. "Meowing is usually her coping mechanism. She'll fall back to sleep after a few minutes."

"M-Meow..."

"Are you sure?" Pacifica asked. "That sounded like crying."

"Wait, crying?" Dipper asked. He got off the bed. "Oh boy..."

* * *

Dipper rushed over to the living room with Pacifica following him. Sure enough, Mabel was laying on the couch crying. "M-Meow..." she said as she sobbed.

"Shh..." Dipper said, gently stroking his sister's hair. "It's okay. Mabel Land is gone and you're here in the real world."

"Mabel Land?" Pacifica asked.

"Mabel's perfect paradise," Dipper explained to Pacifica. "It was meant to keep her in, whether she wanted to or not."

Pacifica let out a small gasp. "Mabel, I'm so sorry to hear that," she said, approaching the couch.

"I-I-It's alright," Mabel replied, still crying. "I'm used to the nightmares at this point. At least they're not as bad as the ones about Grunkle Stan."

Pacifica was confused, so Dipper had to explain. "In order to stop Bill, Grunkle Stan had all of his memories erased," the brunette boy said. "It took a couple of hours to restore them, but Mabel's other nightmares are about the memory loss being permanent. She has also experienced nightmares beyond Weirdmageddon, but it would take too long to explain all of them."

Pacifica looked closer at Mabel. Sure enough, there were dark circles under the short-haired girl's eyes. That was when Pacifica had a thought.

"Are those nightmares part of the reason why you went goth?" Pacifica asked. And sure enough, Mabel quickly nodded, unable to form proper words due to crying so much.

"What?" Dipper asked. He sounded shocked. "I thought you were tired of being the silly one."

Mabel sat up. "Th-That's part of it," she admitted, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I was scared. I wasn't sure what to do. So after I decided to go goth, I called Robbie-"

"Wait, you have Robbie's phone number?" Pacifica asked.

"He wrote it in the scrapbook when he signed it six years ago," Mabel explained. "Anyway, he gave me some good fashion tips on what to wear and how to act. He helped me come up with the perfect prank to show others at school how much I changed. With his help, I was able to get rid of the old me and become a new person."

"But did you really have to cut your hair?" Dipper asked. "Mom and dad did freak out when they saw all that hair in the bathroom garbage pail."

"It was getting to be a problem anyway," Mabel said, briefly touching her jagged shoulder-length hair. "Too many knots and tangles. Besides, I feel better as a goth. It feels more...me."

"I don't know..." Pacifica said. "You were find beforehand."

"No I wasn't!" Mabel suddenly blurted out. "After Weirdmageddon, I felt terrible! I freak out whenever I hear techno music! It reminds me of that horrible place!" She started crying again. "Going goth was my way of coping! I-I-I hate bright colors because of Mabel Land!" She calmed down a bit. "It's why I'm glad that I used up nearly all of my sweaters on those Shacktron parachutes..."

"Come on, Mabel," Dipper said, rubbing his sister's back. "If it makes you feel better, Pacifica and I will have a little indoor camp out with you."

"Wait, what?" Pacifica asked.

Dipper nudged Pacifica in the arm with his elbow. "Are you okay with that?" he asked Mabel.

The short-haired girl nodded again. "Great," Dipper said, heading back to his bedroom. "I'll get the pillows and blankets."

For the rest of the night, Pacifica took part in the indoor camp out with Dipper and Mabel. They chatted about what happened to them over the past six years and played a bit of Truth or Dare or Don't. Needless to say, it was the most fun Pacifica ever had that evening. Not even the thoughts of those nightmares could ruin her good mood.


End file.
